Location: W126 N8585 Westbrook Crossing, Menomonee Falls
Website: www.novumstructures.com
Year Founded: 1986
Product or Service offered: Novum Structures is internationally recognized as a world leading design and build specialty contractor for high-technology spatial architectural structures and enclosures.
Projected 2010 Revenue: $90 million
President and CEO: Ian Collins
Other key leadership members: Kent Anderson, vice president of finance; Terry Peterson, vice president of sales; Soeren Stephan, director of engineering; Scott Raether, director of operations
Target Clientele: Architects and general contractors
Business Organization Memberships: AWS, ASA, IAS
What has fueled your company’s growth?
“Novum’s business model is to listen to and then provide clients a value proposition to meet their desired function, aesthetic, timeline and budget. A positive reputation for customer driven performance has earned the company the respect of leading architects and contractors around the world. We recognize that as a provider of single source specialties, our clients seek fast and relevant support from a direct sales staff coupled with a local ability to manage and build a project. Therefore, we are growing as an increasingly decentralized specialty contractor that can flexibly combine client support, engineering expertise, innovative system products and project management processes to create unique architectural structures and enclosures. We can deliver an infinite variety of applications almost anywhere.”
What has been the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth?
“Externally, obviously the world economy plays a role. Although we are finding new projects in geographically diverse regions, prices remain somewhat depressed and many end users have funding issues to solve. Internally, we must continue to improve skills and keep developing a culture of high flexibility and acceptance of working in a fast paced, lower priced international market.”
Do you have any planned changes for your company in the coming months?
“We must continue to address the internal issues previously mentioned. The emphasis remains on creating a more competitive and experienced technical staff consisting of project managers, detailers, field supervisors and engineers in multiple locations. We have to continue to be closer and more relevant to clients wherever they are. We will continue investment in growth markets such as India and parts of the Middle East with more diversification in general.”
Who are the business people, locally or nationally, whom you admire? What traits do those people exhibit that make you admire them?
“Entrepreneurs, they can typically cross disciplines and challenge existing protocols. Those people who appreciate the necessity of understanding the detail and delivering it within the big picture. They have a huge advantage.”
What is the outlook for the business conditions of your industry over the next several months?
“There will be a continued flat demand for new construction in the west but there is seemingly an end of contraction. Growth markets exist in India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and southeast Asia. Unlike commodity products, opportunities for specialists exist anywhere if you work hard, smart and decentralize.”
What has been your company’s key strategy for rising out of the recession?
“Having pursued an aggressive strategy to enter new markets during the domestic boom, we now win as much work internationally as we do domestically which softened the blow of the recession. To rise, we must continue to invest in new markets and develop new business. Our sales teams throughout the world have done an incredible job of reaching out to more owners, architects and contractors. We continue to generate growth of quality opportunities by spreading our message and then providing relevant specific services. Pooling company-wide global resources and skills is a powerful tool that we can more effectively use to compete in both existing and new markets.”
Congratulations from the strategic partners behind Novum Structures LLC
(414) 571-6000
www.steelwindindustries.com
(414) 298-1000
www.reinhartlaw.com
